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All posts for the month February, 2014

How fickle the hand of fate , one moment your swashbuckling your way through a fishery , then next you’re in soiled underclothes in a hopeless situation……..

As the vision fades , Caldin once again come around , he is in a dank cavern reeking of urine and faeces , he sees his unconscious companions chained to a rough cavern wall , a huge man enters his black armour shimmers and looks to be made of dragon scales , behind him are 3 strange looking characters , a tall women with green hair that looks like snakes , a burly man with the face of a wolf and finally and a very thin , he look extremely ill , when he coughs cockroaches and other insects spew from his mouth, he looks at Caldin as he enters !

Leaning over the small human women he gently picks her up and unchains her,

“laurel “ he whispers in a deep melodic voice ,

the girls eyes open “Lord Black fang “ she says as if mesmerised .

He smiles warmly and then turns to the burly man, “Make sure the carriage is ready, we travel to riddle port immediately “– with that the man bows and leaves.

Black fang then passes the girl to the green haired women, “let us leave, Seri!” and be careful not to harm the girl, things are not what they seem, this girl maybe key!” with that he strides out of the cavern.

“My lord “calls the gaunt man “what of me?”

“You can see to our guests, I’m sure you can come up with something, find out what they know, then get rid of them and report to me in riddle port!”

With that the gaunt man coughs again and more insects spew from his mouth and he also leaves.

You don’t know much time has passed but Eranicus comes awake first , waking his companions , they cast heals and get water , but what now ?

Further investigation shows the walls are covered in Chitin , they then encounter a strange 7 foot ant creature with a terrible looking spear, and so evasion is the name of the game!

The formians have made a nest , it seems this is indeed the lair of Black fang and with him gone , the creature of vile insects seems to be in charge !

Lastly they find an old library and the ancient ghostly librarians speak to the characters , they learn Xin shalast is an ancient city , known as the city of greed !

But still they must find this key and maybe the venture captain ?

The ghostly librarian says to the north of the crucible is savage danger but they may find an armoury to the south , ? Eranicus must get his father’s sword, while Harsk must find his musket axe !

As Caldin Vox stands he feels , light dust is falling around him , something isn’t right , on closer inspection he see`s white roots in the ceiling , walls and floor of the ancient crucible !

Then a vision “ a huge putrid , pile of cells , deep under water , its intelligence is alien, ancient , very ancient magic pulses from every cell , very evil if it can be called that …………. it’s as if it’s being is awakening from a long slumber !” – In an ancient city on another plane and on a mysterious island, two creatures also get the same vision ……..

Then he zones back in and everything is as it was, no dust and no roots , but his skin itches and burns for a second then it’s as before , time to get out and track down laurel and their venture captain and get this key !

After the fight with Yargrin, Hookshanks and giggles, Vox heals the broken arm of Harsk , the fight was not a quiet one, and so Gadren Lamb , may have heard the exchange , a black smoke begins to fill the room Vox seems rooted to the spot , then blackness , you find yourself seated around an ornate table , blood drips in huge globules from the ceiling , at the head of a table a giant sits , his face contorted in anger , you look around to see dark twisted dark shapes writhing and dancing at the edge of vision . The armies are moving to Xin Shalast you hear yourself saying, the final preparation nears and soon the ancient lands will be reborn.

A drow wizard comes into view , it’s as if he glides across the floor , the skin changers seem to be working well , the monks struggle to resist the power of the old magic , we are closing in on the two keys , the third is close but the fourth is proving troublesome ,I may need some more lamia agents !

Then it all fades and you hear the drip drip drip of water , as if from a nightmare you feel something being poked hard into your back, the smell of sea water and grime , then the Drow wizards face appears “Wake up” it whispers

With that Vox is awake, his eyes snap open to find himself in a dark cavern, he sees the rest of the group, young women and a young elf girl in the corner unconscious……………. The last he remembers were the damn kobolds !

There is Dark and more Dark , you feel as if you sinking into a thick black swamp, swirling images around you , face of humans , elves , leering pirates and the omnipotent presence of some powerful creature . Then you remember something , then pleb remembers something , a port, an elf ranger , a caravan with huge creatures , huge racks of skins , something , isn’t right , he starts to scratch , his skin is on fire , its burning….burning …………

Then a face of a drow appears “wake up” it whispers!

With a scream pleb awakes, around him are the snoring goblins, the cave is getting dark, he hears voices outside the cave, a weird language with clicks and guttural grunts.

In the Valley of the Uldavai, in a ancient city on a different plane , Corik finds his internal organs have move , the green mist becoming denser the deeper they go into the city , there is something alien , truly alien , turning towards Eando , Bris and Durgen he see`s they have an altered shape , looking like huge serpents in this green haze, Corik staggers as if a huge weight is upon his shoulders and the gas fills his lungs . A bell rings then you hear a thrumming, likeslow and distant drums. It grows slowly louder until, with a rush of huge gray wings, an enormous silver-backed ape lands in front of you. The thing must be nine feet tall, and the sword it carries is at least half that length. “You are the first to call in many years. I be Grundhu. Why have you brought me back to this crazy city with its evil spawn?”

As Pleb wakes the goblins up , they have no recollection of the this smugglers shiv and Sqaulik is back , Pleb is confused , Karrow and checks outside and see`s lots of crabmen all talking and few are looking at tracks, Half hand finds a secret tunnel in the back of the cave and they follow it , into an ancient chamber , after many horrible traps they hear the sounds of chanting , and once again see the huge white Tree which has haunted Pleb!

Maybe they cant kill the tree yet and they remember seeing the Gem in its branches , but maybe a different approach may work ?

As Corik watches the monkey approach , a thought flashes into his mind , the message he sent to Shallelu ? Was it the real Shallelu ? Or is now Shallelu working for someone else ? she Cant be , but remember the newer magic is faltering and old ancient unknown magic is appearing !

The sand below your feet is covered in a thick black ichor, fresh from the slain spiders , the sun is beginning to rise , you know its time to make a camp for the day , moving inside the cave , you begin to look about , coins seem to glint in the sand at the back of cave.

A Search of the cave finds a thin passage , no human could fit through but certainly a halfing could ? Make a Will roll to stay awake? Or eat sleep and look at this in the morning ?

Strange dreams fill your head , a huge white tree, a pirate ship made of sea shell and captained by a weird looking creature, cannibals , snakes who walk , huge crab men hunting prey for food , then a something huge and terrible rampaging through the thick jungle , then swirling fog creatures , the face of a leering pirate captain, and then all goes silent and black , the face of an attractive Drow wizard appears – “wake up” he whispers , you all instinctively roll to one side sensing immediate danger . as a huge crab man, smashes a claw down just as pleb rolls to one side , missing him by inches.

The battle with the crabmen !

The battle doesnt go well and Pleb knows this isnt what it seems , its not black or white , its in the middle and Pleb doesnt like it in the middle, he knows there is something wrong !

But alas the fight does not go well and the party take a savage beating and all goes black.

Harsk and Co , find themselves in a fight with a savage shark , then break into the fishery , where they are faced with Gadren lamms henchmen , Yagrin , Hookshanks and giggles , at this point Harsk cant seem to hit anything , but luckily enough the wizard is decmating the baddies with bolts of energy ! They make it through the fight , but Harsk has a broken arm !